Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance marks 20-year anniversary
The UK’s Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance started its operations for the first time 20 years ago
On 21 March 2000 at 08:00 hrs, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance went online and 52 minutes later, it was tasked to its first ever mission. At the start, the service operated during daylight in a Bölkow 105 helicopter, with a crew of two paramedics and one pilot.
Twenty years later, the service has developed and is operating advanced ambulance helicopters and delivering pre-hospital clinical care to people in the counties of Dorset and Somerset 19 hours a day.
The charity will be marking its 20th anniversary with the ‘20 Years By Your Side’ initiative, aiming to showcase how far it has come in the past two decades. It set up a page on its website detailing its milestones, including stories from patients who have needed its help.
Bill Sivewright, CEO of Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, said: “Over the years, technology, clinical practice, regulation and even patient expectation have changed dramatically. However, the changes we have made voluntarily have been based on evidence and have all passed a simple test; will this benefit the patient? This approach has served us extremely well and has prevented us from making unnecessary and potentially expensive mistakes along the way, whilst ensuring that the things that we have changed, have all mattered.
“To assist with the containment of Covid-19, we have already taken collective action in order to protect and assist in the effort to delay further spread. This includes the cancellation of events, door-to-door lottery canvassing, talks, cheque presentations and upcoming engagements that involve the gathering of people. This is something that is very hard for us to do, as we take pride in being able to thank our supporters in person for their wonderful support, whether that be by raising funds, or simply learning more about our life-saving work.
“We recognise that, at this time, the public may be concerned about their finances; however, we also know that they appreciate the life-chances that Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance can bring. In the last 20 years, we have come so far. With the patient as our motivation and continued support from the public, we hope to be able to continue to innovate, develop and be there for the next 20 years and beyond.”